Celine Boston Bag review
I went to Paris in September 2023 and knew I wanted to buy a Celine bag. I was originally leaning toward the Triomphe, the classic “It-Girl” bag currently making waves over the past few years, and what some say has put Celine back on the map in the post-Phoebe Philo days. However, once I saw it in person, it didn’t call to me like I originally thought it would.
Fast forward a few days and my friend and I are in Monte-Carlo and I decide to look at the Boston bag. They offer 3 variations of this bag: brown leather, black leather, and coated canvas. I loved the understated look of the coated canvas, and not the giant leather triomphe on the leather bags, so decided to go forward with the coated canvas Boston bag.
Bag
The bag itself is very small, and takes inspiration from the Louis Vuitton Speedy. Don’t let the size fool you though, you can fit quite a lot in the bag without compromising the shape.
Currently, I have:
card holder
3 lipsticks
chapstick
travel toilet paper
mini pill organizer
2 pens
claw clip
tabata timer (for teaching pilates)
car key, apartment keys, office keys
2 sunglasses
and more
It comes with a crossbody strap, but I never use it, I love the top handle. Some reviews have stated that the hardware on the top handles will grow squeaky, and initially the salesman tried handing me one that was VERY squeaky, but I haven’t noticed mine being noisy at all.
It is a great day-to-day, day-to-night, and even travel bag as it fits so much but is still very small.
Price
Having bought mine in Europe, I paid 1350 euros, with 12% back. In the US, this bag runs for $1750 + taxes/shipping.
However, if you are open to a preloved andor vintage option, there are some really well priced pieces online. My best friend got a slightly larger black one for around $400. I’m thinking of getting a vintage one to add to my collection :)
Experience Buying
This was my first “big” designer purchase and I was very excited for it to be Celine. As I said above, we went to the Celine in Monte-Carlo, and I know I don’t have the wealth they may typically see, but I still expected to be treated with respect. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The salesman basically tossed the bags down in front of me, then walked off. I left because my feelings were hurt and was expecting to have a different experience. I should’ve waited until getting back to Paris to look at the bag again, but really wanted to buy it.
After my friend bought her bag from Dior, which was an INCREDIBLE experience, we went back to Celine. The man greeted me by saying “oh, you came back?” I said, “yes, sir. I’d like to buy the Boston bag, please.” He replied, “oh, you’re going to buy it this time?” He had never offered me a water or any refreshments either of these visits. I’m not necessarily upset by the lack of refreshments, as we had just had champagne and espresso at Dior, but it was shocking to experience vastly different service across the street from each other.
He handed me a defective one with squeaky hardware, and when I asked if they had one in stock that wasn’t so loud, he said he wasn’t sure and would have to check. Sure enough, he brought me out a perfect condition bag. I paid for it, and he wrapped the bag up in the cloth bag, and then a shopping bag. No box. When I returned later to ask for the box, he was drinking champagne with a girl shopping for sunglasses, so I asked another sales associate, who was very apologetic about the lack of a box given to me.
Overall, this did completely sour my experience buying at Celine. I love the brand, I love the history behind the brand, and was so excited for my first designer purchase and this man all but ruined that experience for me.
Pros and Cons
Overall, mostly pros. I love the size, I love how much you can fit into it, I love the style. I love this bag and would repurchase it for sure.
There are just a few cons though. You can buy this bag on the preloved market for relatively cheaper, saving a few hundred dollars. Also the price for coated canvas, while it isn’t insanely high, it is still expensive for just canvas. The zipper also seems to be a bit cheap, as you can’t zip it without reinforcing the bag and making the zipper taut.
Final thoughts: I love this bag :)
